DISCLAIMER: The views expressed in the following article belong solely to the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Honeysuckle Media as a whole.
Silent Cry, Inc. is a nonprofit human rights organization that takes a holistic approach to aftercare from mass incarceration, gun violence, and trauma. Founded by internationally-renowned advocate Shawanna E. Vaughn, Silent Cry works to support children and families impacted by poverty-related trauma. The team provides resources to those currently and formerly incarcerated, striving to help people heal through the process of self-development and overcoming grief. Silent Cry additionally raises awareness of Post-Traumatic Prison Disorder, calling for comprehensive prison and policy reforms across the country to address training for core competencies in all trauma-informed mental healthcare.
A Call To President Biden: Repair Harms Done By The War On Drugs Now
The 50-year War On Drugs imprisoned millions of Black Americans, including my mother Joyce A. Vaughn, who was sent to the California Institution for Women, a state prison in San Bernardino County. Now the President will understand the War On Drugs personally.
It is time for the Biden family to acknowledge their role in perpetuating these harmful policies and work towards true criminal justice reform. The recent news of Hunter Biden being found guilty of drug possession is not a tragedy, but rather a wake-up call for the Biden family. For too long, the Biden family has been complicit in perpetuating harmful drug policies that have disproportionately impacted communities of color. Joe Biden, as a senator, played a key role in passing the 1994 crime bill, which led to mass incarceration and the devastating War On Drugs.
This legislation disproportionately targeted and criminalized Black and Brown communities, leading to the destruction of families and communities. Now, the consequences of these policies have come to the doorstep of the Biden family. Hunter Biden's struggle with addiction and his recent conviction for drug possession is a direct result of the failed War On Drugs and the criminal justice system that his father helped create.
President Biden Has An Opportunity For Effective Criminal Justice Reform
It is time for the Biden family to acknowledge their role in perpetuating these harmful policies and work towards true criminal justice reform. This includes addressing the racial disparities in drug enforcement and sentencing, investing in rehabilitation and treatment programs, and ending the criminalization of drug addiction. The Biden family has a unique opportunity to use their platform and influence to create new policies and practices. An opportunity to bring those with indeterminate sentences home from drugs, marijuana, crack, cocaine, which they've been over-sentenced for decades, and the disparities of sentencing for those who use drugs, who are also people of color.
I personally was sentenced under the auspices of the 1994 crime bill in California. President Biden, now that that reality has come to your doorstep and your own family, maybe you will understand how it has been for decades of minority communities that have been ravaged from bills and policies that have been created through your own policies and those of Former President Bill Clinton and Former Senator/Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. You can make this a pivotal turning point in history and get on the right side before your legacy in this country is gone.
What Steps Can President Biden Take To Heal Communities Impacted By The War On Drugs?
What will you do? We are calling on you to:
Pardon long indeterminate sentences for those incarcerated due to the War On Drugs.
Create resources to combat the War On Drugs and the effect it has had - and is still having - on Black communities, by reinvesting in said communities.
These communities have been left devastated by the War On Drugs, looking like Third World countries - like Baghdad in the wake of the Iraq War.
Overcriminalization is a disease and everybody suffers. Now we need solutions as a country.
Find out how to contact the White House with your statements to President Biden on healing communities affected by the War On Drugs by clicking here.
For more information about Silent Cry and how to get involved with community advocacy, visit silentcryinc.org. Support the Post Traumatic Prison Disorder legislation by clicking here, and donate to Silent Cry's other programs by clicking here.
Faces Of The Failed War On Drugs
Bernice Cubie has been incarcerated in California since 1998 due to its three-strikes criminal justice law.
Michelle West is currently serving life without parole, due to the mandatory minimum drug laws that applied when she was arrested in 1993 on her first and only offense. #FreeMichelleWest
Tamerra Washington is currently serving two sentences of 32-50 years in Michigan on wrongful convictions. Read her story of being caught in a police sting operation and experiencing bias during her court case here.
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Written By:
Shawanna Vaughn is an internationally-renowned humanitarian advocate and the founder of Silent Cry, Inc., a nonprofit human rights organization that takes a holistic approach to aftercare from mass incarceration, gun violence, and trauma. Silent Cry works to support children and families impacted by poverty-related trauma. The team provides resources to those currently and formerly incarcerated, striving to help people heal through the process of self-development and overcoming grief. Silent Cry additionally raises awareness of Post-Traumatic Prison Disorder, calling for comprehensive prison and policy reforms across the country to address training for core competencies in all trauma-informed mental healthcare.
For more information about Silent Cry and how to get involved with community advocacy, visit silentcryinc.org. Support the Post Traumatic Prison Disorder legislation by clicking here, and donate to Silent Cry's other programs by clicking here.
@silentcryny (IG)
@erenavaughn (IG)
@SilentCrySV (Twitter)
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Featured image: Shawanna Vaughn, founder of Silent Cry Inc., discusses community healing in Harlem, NYC (C) Honeysuckle Media, Inc.
